Growing Up Alone
by Ihearu
Summary: Marti Venturi is the last of the MacDonald/Venturi kids to still be at home, still in high school. Things begin to get out of control, and thats where this begins. MartiOC, Dasey, Lizwin. Currently under construction
1. Reminisce

**DISCLAIMER! - i [unfortunately do not own any bit of Life With Derek, and man, does it suck. i own this plot line though! yay me! **

**Hey there LWD fans! I absolutely adore this show, and after reading all of these dasey/lizwin stories, i felt inspired.  
Sure, this might seem just to be a little OOC and Marti centered, but you'll get to see the back story of how Derek and Casey fell for each other, and why everything's different between Edwin and Lizzie.  
Plus, they'll all be set back in during the holiday i have planned! **

--Casey and Derek are married, Edwin's in the US, in Florida, while Lizzie's in Toronto. Avoiding each other? Maybe.  
Then there's little Marti MacDonald.  
Only she's not so little anymore.  
Her stepmother works near full time, and her father has quit being a lawyer, became a stockbroker, and lately been mysteriously maneuvering around the house.  
['Smarti' no longer exists, except for the time she spends, a weekend a month, over her older sibs house.--

AGES – Marti, 143/4; Lizzie, 20; Edwin, 21; Casey, 24; Derek 241/2.

Marti's point of view.

"" - talking. '' thinking. _ flashbacks_ [italicized

* * *

"Marti, have you seen the family portrait? It's seemed to gone missing." Nora shouts from up the stairs at me, accusingly.

I look at her like she's crazy.

"No, Nora. I haven't. I dunno where it might be." What would I want with a family portrait?

She gets a funny look on her face, and sets off to do more Sunday cleaning, as usual.

I don't understand why she spends her only day off doing so, but I guess it's okay if it makes her happy.

I turn back to my homework. I hate algebra. It's a waste of my life. Ratios and proportions don't deserve a spot in my brain.

I've gotten half/half of the Venturi gene.

I'm smart, kind of like Casey and Edwin smart, but I also have Derek's laziness. I use it in the form of procrastination. I can do it, sure, but I just don't want to.

Especially algebra.

I gave up on it after a few more minutes of it, and walked into the kitchen to check and see if the water was boiling. I was making spaghetti tonight; despite the fact Nora and dad can both cook. Nora just gets caught up in everything, and dad is busy with some sort of 'investments'.

As I stir in the spaghetti sauce, I hear a crash, and I go running to the landing.

"Nora! Are you okay?"

"Oh, um, I'm fine, Marti. Just knocked something over is all."

I was really curious, but I didn't want to invade Nora's personal space.

Dimi would later point out that this would be another reason my mixed family has left me so mix-matched.

He claims I have become all of them, smashed into one person. Which I guess you could say is true, but at the same cost, I still wanted to be my own person. Casey and Lizzie never dressed like me, Nora tells me. But I don't care.

It feels like the only individuality I have left.

Today, I'm showing traits of being observant like Edwin and Lizzie, and giving up on schoolwork like Smerek. I guess you can say I'm like Nora in the studious way of always getting stuff done.

"Smells great, kiddo." A voice from behind me comments.

"Hey dad. Dinner's almost ready."

He stirs the sauce and takes a small taste. "mmm, delicious."

I guess he enjoys when I cook, because he always makes comments like this.

I smile and continue preparing until finished.

I set out the steamed asparagus and spaghetti in the middle of the table and call Nora and dad up to eat.

Things go and are talked about as normal.

"I talked to Casey today and she told me her and Derek…" "Lizzie should be coming home in a few weeks, I haven't heard from Ed…"

"Investments increased…today I heard stock market could rise steadily within the next week…paycheck comes in Tuesday."

"Didn't do anything…talked to Dimi…finished homework."

Dinner conversation was dull. I missed the days back before everyone left. When everyone loved everyone.

I remember one dinner where it was as quiet as this, but for all reasons only I had figured out.

_It was a pizza night, which was normal when Nora didn't feel like cooking.  
_

_Nora had came home late and her and dad were fighting over taking to me to mom's house._

_Lizzie had found out that her tae-kwon-doe class might end due to finding out Nora was talking to dad about it. Edwin kept trying to cheer her up, but then she started crying, and Venturi boys fear tears. He hid in the games closet, deep in thought._

_Derek had been trying to figure out why he wasn't so upset that Sally quit her job and ended the way things had been going between her and Derek. He was more concerned about the overly quiet brunette sitting across from him._

_Casey hadn't touched her dinner and hadn't spoken a word to any of the family members, besides a yes or no, since school let out._

_Emily was starting to be around Sheldon more and more, leaving Casey around Max more often, who just so happened to break up with her for good today._

_"Casey, what's wrong?" Lizzie turned to her, noticing her untouched pizza._

_She shook her head, choosing her words carefully._

_I could tell Smerek was trying to think if he did something to her again._

_He was only playing pranks on her because he loved her._

_Dad looked at her, and even he could tell something was wrong._

_"Case, what happened? Lets talk about it?"_

_She opened her mouth to start to say something, but then she ran upstairs crying._

_"Derek! What did you do?" Nora accused._

_His eyebrows pointed in, and he started yelling._

_"What makes you think I did something? Spacey is probably having boy problems again. You guys are always so convinced I've done something wrong to her whenever she gets upset!"_

_"That's because we're concerned. You usually are one to blame, Derek. Lower your voice, its dinner. Let Casey breath in her room for a while. She'll calm down." Nora said._

_"I don't have to calm down. You guys are so condescending!" He said, shocking everyone with using 'big words'._

_And with that he picked up his plate, piled another slice of pizza on top, and stormed off to his room."_

_"What has gone on with this family? Honestly. You're acting as if George and I are ruining your lives!"_

_The three kids looked at each other furtively._

_"Maybe you should listen to your kids more often!" Edwin surprisingly spoke up._

_Dad and Nora looked at each other, clueless as usual._

_"Liz? Tell them how unfair they're being!"_

_She looked up, unsure._

_It was silent for a few seconds, then…_

_"You guys are being so unfair! I love tae-kwon-doe! You want to take it out of my life all because it takes too much time to get there? That's… that's completely unreasonable and I won't let you!" She then walks off too, with Ed in tow._

_"And I hate going to mom's!" I say, speaking the truth for my eight-year-old self._

_I didn't leave; I was hungry. I just didn't talk. I took a vow of silence, after words of fire._

_I didn't understand how big of a deal it was to say, until after I said it._

_That day I made one of the biggest decisions of my entire childhood._

Now they were looking at me. What were they talking about? Uhh.

"Sorry, I spaced out. What was that, Nora?"

"Just asked if you and Dimi got married again today."

I rolled my eyes. My family laughs at the fact Dimi and I 'got married' practically every day when we were little.

"Oh, of course" I say, my words dripping with sarcasm.

"Nora, I have to work late tomorrow. Are you going to be home to pick up Marti?"

Nora's face falls, and she groans. "I can't. I have a case at two tomorrow. Sorry Marti. Can Dimi or someone else give you home?"

I sighed, "Of course." And I asked if I could be excused.

I was sick of everything lately: Everyone leaving, Dimi being Dimi, parents never being around.

I called my only friend that's a girl, Krista Pax.

"Hey Krit. What's going on in your life?"

I guess you could say Krista is the equivalent of Casey's friend Emily. Odd.

"Which part? My parents divorcing, my sister getting pregnant, or the fact that I made a fool of myself talking to Nate yesterday?"

I needed this, a distraction, something to get me off of focusing on my own life.

I talked to her for a while, and hung up and went to bed.

I had straight access to the bathroom anytime, and I could choose whose bed to sleep in. I spent some nights a whole floor up, in Edwin's room. Or I would walk into Casey's room if I needed a sense of reassurance. She would always be there to listen. Lizzie's had the athlete appeal of it all. And Smerek's was _too _comfortable. It reminded me of the times I jumped in his bed because I couldn't fall asleep or I had nightmares.

Tonight, though, I settled for my own room. It was time for a change. I wanted to take control and make myself known for Marti Venturi, not a Derek Edwin Casey Lizzie combination.

* * *

**Alright. A bit of a rough start; understandable.  
The drama unfolds in the next chapter, and that should create easier understanding.  
Tell me what you think... next chapter'll be up as soon as i finish it!**


	2. Intuition

**Disclaimer: I don't own Life With Derek. If I did, then this would already be an episode.  
A/N: Hello there my lovely readers!  
Thanks for all of your support, for reading this!  
To my reviewers, i really adore your support! Thank you so much!  
**

...In this chapter, things get a little more in depth.  
I hope you don't hate me too much for what i've done with it!

* * *

The next day, I woke up with an uneven feeling in my stomach. 

I always had a knack for my intuition being right, so I knew I should keep on my toes today.

I sat at the breakfast table, munching on some cereal while Dad and Nora ran around trying to get ready. It was the same ordeal every weekday; I began to realize why Casey loved things being organized to the alternative.

"Mart, have you seen my briefcase?" "Where's my ?"

I was already ready; my books were sitting in front of me, my hair was done, and my shoes were on.

Nora stops short, and looks on her watch, kisses dad goodbye, and runs out the door.

Dad smiles at me, and we hustle out to the car. The short car ride was quieter than usual; I assumed it was because we were just tired for an early morning drive.

As I opened the door, dad said to me, "You know, I'll always love you, Marti. Remember that, no matter what."

I nodded, told him I loved him and walked towards the building. I thought it was odd; he was never that much of a sap that early in the day.

I walked to my locker and emptied my books inside and picked out what I would need for the next few classes.

Next thing I knew, my hands were covered by a set of hands.

"Guess who!" a quiet voice asked smugly.

I smiled, and turned to punch Dillon Westings in the shoulder.

"Ha ha, Very silly. You think I wouldn't notice. I'm smarter then that."

He laughs, and sticks out his tongue playfully. I raise an eyebrow.

"I had to inform you," he starts out, "practice is canceled today. Coach Latack had to go visit his niece in the hospital. She's sick with pneumonia."

I scrunch my face up, and groan. "But I wanna go! Can't we practice without?"

We start walking to first mod, the only class we conveniently have together.

"No can do. Don't worry about it though. Practice wouldn't be practice without a coach. Simple as that." Dillon convinces me.

"I knew today would be bad."

To some on the ice, I'm known as Dereka Venturi, the little sister of hero Derek Venturi. He just so happens to be the star of the Ottawa Senators. Some say I play as well, but I really don't think so. I keep trying to get as much practice in as I can. I play on the team with all boys, for petes sake! That was a trip to start with.

Sure, we have a women's hockey team in the athletic system. But I didn't feel like playing with a whole bunch of girls who didn't like to be shoved into the boards or get sent to the penalty box.

Derek didn't support my decision at first. Lizzie had played on an all girls team, so why couldn't she? He knew how guys could play dirty and rough. But he didn't seem to understand that I liked that side of it. I guess he was too stuck on keeping me as young as possible. I had inherited the persistent Venturi gene, and even Derek couldn't persuade me to change my decision.

Since the switch of the teams, I had more guy friends then ever. Don't get me wrong, I love dressing up cute and using makeup, but I love being a tomboy. It's fun.

"What's Lenning say about this? Our captain gotta have a say in this whole stupid ordeal. We have a game soon!" I say, referring to Hayden Lenning, captain of the team

"Marti, chill. It's all right. Practice will resume all week and we have open rink this weekend." He laughs and rumples my hair.

I playfully punch him in the shoulder and we walk into our first mod class, linguistics with Mr. Charlot. He knows about eight different languages and aims to teach us about ten throughout this entire school year so we'll know exactly what courses to take in high school and college.

"iQue un sorpresa!" Mr. C says sarcastically, "Buena nota por la papel Senora Venturi. Bien!" **What a surprise. Great grade for the paper, Miss Venturi. Good!  
**

I smile back nodding and at the same time understanding a little what he said. I had received 103/100 on our last quiz. Of course, it's idealistic to get these grades on every test, but I aim for that. Years of Edwin and Casey extremely stressing over grades helped me strategize for my own up and coming years of school.

"Today we will be reviewing the last of the Spanish language and culture. Who can tell me a few of the phrases that you know?"

I had my hand raised hesitantly; I didn't want to seem too eager. Mr. C's eyes landed on me, and

"Senor Lenning. Is there anything you would like to share with the class?" Mr. Charlot raises his eyebrow questioning Hayden.

"N-no sir. Just wishing I had an opportunity to bring my grades up."

"Well. I'm sure Senora Martina may be able to help. See me, the both of you, after class to discuss details."

Tutoring him? That'd be ridiculous! If word would get out, we both wouldn't hear the end of it.

The class crawls by, which was to be expected. I could tell that Hayden knew I was ready to pop; he kept starting at me.

"Before the bell rings, I want you all to bring your Spanish books to class tomorrow; we'll be trading them for Japanese for the remaining weeks before holiday break." He says, in sync with the bell.

The classroom empties, leaving Hayden and I standing directly across from Mr. Charlot.

"Before you speak, let me. Marti excels at nearly anything I put in front of her in this class. She would be far better to tutor you than anyone I know. By the looks of it, it seems the two of you already know each other; which is good. Now that I put that out there, what would you like to do?"

I was about to shout out a no, when Hayden cuts me off.

"I need all the help I can. Marti's on my hockey team, so she understands how much I need to keep my grades up to stay on the team."

Giving in, I nod in agreement.

"Alright. Now that that's settled, Marti will tutor you on Spanish for a while, and you'll take a retest. As far as Japanese goes, I see it as better by tutoring it along the way so you won't get lost this time. Now, you both should head off to your next classes." He says, handing us passes, completely satisfied.

I'm halfway down the hall to my next class, when Hayden whispers in my ear,

"Your house, tomorrow, after school"

I look over to reply and he's already walking away.

I groan inwardly. I wasn't prepared to take on him.

Of our entire freshman team, he was the stubborn one. He was captain, and that was how he wanted it to be. He ordered us around, and most of all, used me as a guinea pig for anything he wanted to try out, no matter how painful. Being the only girl, I saw this as sexist. He told everyone else it was the hard work of being on 'his' team. I fired back by maneuvering everything he wanted, flawlessly.

One of the great perks of your brother being on an NHL team was that he persuaded some of his friends to let me fool around with them on the ice. They all loved me. Derek didn't mind it, as long as no one tried to shove me in the boards or create some other kind of offense. If it were on accident, it'd take a heck of a lot of convincing and maybe a few threats to get the game going again. Whenever Lizzie came by, she would sometimes try to make time to play with us like old times. But even then, it was rare.

Detouring away from Physics, I decided that I needed a little help.

"Paul!" I said, pushing the door open.

His eyes glance over to me, then back to his newspaper. What a great guidance councilor he is.

I sit down. He doesn't move. I begin to tap my fingers on his desk repeatedly, guaranteeing that I would get his attention soon.

"Alright Marti. Where's the fire this time?" He says, sighing, finally putting down the paper.

"You wouldn't believe it. I have to tutor the captain in linguistics."

"Who? Patrick Reynolds or Hayden Lenning?" He says, also referring to the senior division of the team.

"Lenning. You know, the one who constantly makes me run pointless drills because he's sexist and hates me?"

Paul starts laughing. I shoot him a glare and he quiets down.

"You sound so much like Casey its kind of scary."

"Well thanks, Paul. I'm glad that I created a trip down memory lane for you. Lenning makes hockey practice he- heck because I'm the girl on the team. Sure, I chose this route, but why does he have to be so chauvinistic?" I said, nearly slipping up and swearing right in front of him."

"Tough breaks, huh? Your brother's the star of the Ottawa senators, or NHL if you really want to look at the big picture. You're the only girl on an all guys league. He's testing you, teasing you, seeing what he can make out of you. You never know. He may be creating benefits for you."

"You don't get it! He's ruining me from the inside out! He's picking on me on the ice and now he's making it harder by having me tutor him."

"Case-I mean, uh, Marti," he stutters, slipping up again, "maybe you should-"

"Maybe I should stop living my siblings lives? I come here and I'm like Casey. I go to classes and I'm compared to Edwin. I go to P.E. and I'm supposed to be as good as Lizzie, and if I slip up or I go anywhere near a rink, I'm Derek. This is not fair! I can't breathe without being someone else."

Paul sinks down in his chair and rests his head on his hands.

"Well. I have a suggestion, but I don't know what you'll think of it."

I take a few breaths.

Unclenching my fists, I ask, "What's my prescription, doc?"

"Find something. Something you like, something you're good at, something that compares you to no one in your house."

I start to consider it. It makes more sense than it sounds.

"What period is it out there?" I point my thumb at the door.

"Third, soon to be fourth. Here's a pass. Take what I said into consideration. Be careful."

I nod and thank him, exiting his doorway feeling at ease.

I slide through the rest of my classes boringly. It was always the same, day in and day out. Teachers trying to teach students things that they didn't understand or couldn't.

I sat bored in all of my classes, except for my last period, the dreaded Algebra class.

The teacher stood there, rambling about quadratic formulas and how we would need several things in our geometry unit.

I turn to my right and whisper down to Krista and ask her if she understood any of this. She shrugged her shoulders quickly and went back to paying attention.

I copied more of the notes and tried to ask questions, because I just didn't understand. After a while I just gave up.

The last couple of minutes, I mentioned to Krista that I needed a ride home from her sister. She told me to meet me out at the car as soon as I could.

After shoving books into my locker and slamming it, I stomped out to the parking lot, scanning it for Krista's sister's dark blue Toyota.

I start to walk towards it, when I notice something make me stop in my tracks.

I practically ran up to the near-new silver BMW.

"Derek? What are you doing here! I missed you!"

"Get in." He says, short and to the point.

I shuffle into the front seat and buckle in.

"Why are you home? Did you and Casey get into a fight?"

"Marti, just shut up and let me drive!" He snapped, his words pointed.

My face fell. Something was not right. I can't remember the last time I got yelled at by Derek.

I sat back and remained quiet. I texted Krista to apologize for not meeting her, that Derek was here and I guessed that it was important.

The radio was on some sort of station promoting Derek's team, but there was no game on, so there was no reason to listen to. I began to change it to some music to settle the silence, but as soon as I pressed a button, he slapped my hand.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

I look at him, my eyes with fear and hurt looking into his with anger.

I turn away to stare out the window for the rest of the drive. We were heading east, past the rest of the London town. I had a feeling we were heading to Ottawa, to Casey and Derek's apartment.

Sure enough, we ended up in the city of Ottawa, town of the two in a row Stanley cup championship Senators, which mainly meant Derek Venturi.  
Derek and Casey's apartment was in perfect distance between the arena and Casey's job.  
Derek parked in the drive, and I sullenly followed him into what some would call palace. Casey wasn't anywhere in sight, and I knew from the start she wouldn't be there.

Like I said, my intuition was always right.

I sat down on the couch as Derek started talking on his cell phone. I listened in intently as he talked to maybe catch why I was here instead of home.

"Yeah, Case. I brought her home with me. No, not yet. I don't know. Yes, very delicate. No, that wasn't sarcasm. Stay safe there. Keep Nora occupied. I'll be seeing you soon. I love you. Bye."

Keep Nora safe?  
That didn't make sense. Nora was at work with a case. Did that mean Casey was home? Why is it that I'm here and she's there?  
There were way too many questions I wanted to ask. But I was far too scared to ask Derek.

I took my homework and quietly began working on it. I didn't want to disrupt Derek in any way. He was already making another phone call.

"Listen, Coach, is there any way I could bring Marti to practice with me today? Yes, she's my little sister. She's in town for a little while. Really? Thanks. I really appreciate it. Yes, be there at 3 sharp. See you soon."

Derek ends the call and sits down in a chair next to me. Derek's chair; the one he pretty much took from the house. It made no difference anyways; it was the one thing that Derek only used in the house. I was allowed once in a while to sit in it though.

"Listen. Marti. We have to talk."

I give him a look, and go back to working out a chemical equation.

"Seriously. I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's been a really bad day."

I stopped. Bad? How bad could it be?

"Smarti. Look at me." He says softly, pleading with me.

And I do. He looks like he played hockey for hours on end, and lost.

"What happened?" I manage to choke out.

He closes his eyes, wincing. "Dad left."

"What?" I yell, "What do you mean he left? He went to work. He had to work late."

"Left. As in. Packed his things. Left a note. Not returning. Gone."

* * *

**Ah. There it is. George is gone? I honestly was trying to work around it, but it wouldn't bring the whole clan of kids together. Especially now with Derekus and Boxing Day and what not coming up. Reviews please? I'll try to update asap!**


	3. Honesty

**A/N: I'm so excited for all of your feedback on this story so far; it made me happy beyond belief!  
I would've posted this chapter up earlier if i didn't have state regulated testing. So, blame the government, not me! **

:This chapter picks up right where the last cliffhanger left off. Another flashback and another question answered, so tell me what you think! 

* * *

"He left? Why would he do that! He's our dad! He's been Nora's husband, for the past eight years! Lizzie and Casey's step dad!"

"I know."

I felt like I was going to cry. He packed his things. He left, just like that.

"You're lying to me." I say, my eyes narrowing.

"What? Why in the world would I lie?" Derek's eyes are wide by now. 

"He still loves me. He wouldn't leave us. He cares about us." I say, my voice near yelling point. I was standing by now.

"Marti, calm down. I don't want to believe it either."

"That's because it's a lie! You're lying to me!" I get up and storm off to Derek and Casey's room and lock the door.

I press my back against the door, covering my ears.

"Marti! Smarti! Come out!"

"I will if you stop lying to me!"

"Marti. Really. I don't think I've ever lied to you… and I wouldn't over something this important. I wouldn't have taken you up here if I were playing a trick on you. Please, believe me." He pleads for the second time of the day. 

"What did the letter say?"

"I really can't answer that. Please. Just… I don't know. Nora's a wreck and Casey's there right now. I'll take you home tonight. After hockey practice and dinner, okay?" 

I take a deep breath and open the door.

"I believe you, Smerek." I say in a whisper. 

Then I collapse in his arms crying. 

After a tight hug, I walk sniveling to the front part of the apartment to get ready to go to hockey practice. 

I've met the coach many times before, and I know majority of the players. They think I'm adorable, and sometimes tease Derek about me being a substitute for one day having kids of his own. 

Today I sit in the stands, maneuvering into several seats just to see a good view of Derek, not paying much attention to the Ottawa Senators in general. 

"Alexii, take place for Mr. Venturi. It sure seems like you're aiming to pick a fight today, Derek. And with Marti watching?" He scoffed, pointing his thumb at me, "Take a break." 

Derek opens his mouth, but then snaps it shut. He didn't want any more drama of the day. 

They practiced several exercises that I wondered if I could get the team to perform.

Derek seemed fierce and more determined than ever. I knew he was taking all of his anger out from what would have been on George if possible. He pretty much scared the goalie from his rapid backhanded shot.

I could see coach's approval in his eyes, but his head shook in frustration. He wanted Derek to cooperate and to work as a team, not to scar them all. 

By the end of the practice, the coach's voice was hoarse and the team was tired. All except for Derek, who was still making slap shots at the net.

"Come on Derek, lets go. I think this net's been punished enough for one day." I called from my seat, with a little fear. 

He winds up his last shot and slams it in. If a goalie was in there, I don't think they'd be alive.

Derek turns his head towards me, and nods, slumping his shoulders and walking back to the locker room. 

I, on the other hand, hang around for a little while. Derek wouldn't be ready for at least fifteen minutes, so I had time to do whatever I wanted.

I just sat back to relax and looked down at the rink. 

Back a couple of years ago, the whole family went together to see the Senators play, before Derek and Casey were off to college and Derek had said yes to the coach.  
Everyone knew about Casey and Derek except for Nora and Dad. Nora had been so busy that she didn't even care about her work balancing with home. She combined them, but rushing it with every step. Dad, on the other hand, is so oblivious that he wouldn't realize they were in love with each other even if they kissed right in front of him.

"Smerek! Can you give Edwin the money you owe him for me to get some cotton candy?"

_Derek looks at me and softly says, "Sorry, Smarti. Ask dad or Nora. They should be able to help you out. And he whips his head back to the game._

_Lizzie laughs a "Yes!" and holds her hand out for a groaning Edwin to pay up. _

_Their bets had been ongoing since the day Edwin stated the rules to Lizzie._

_I started whining about the cotton candy, and dad pulled out money easily. _

_I asked Derek if he wanted to come with me to the concessions to get something, and he didn't answer. I asked Casey next, and she replied with a yes._

_Smirking the Venturi trademark smirk, I say, "Yay, Casey lets go!" and Derek snaps his head in our direction._

"_Hey! I never gave you an answer. I wanted to come."_

_Casey smiles for point two seconds, then realizes she has to put up her front in front of Dad and Nora. _

"_Derek! I can take care of Marti all by myself!"_

"_No, you can't. You'll probably bore her to death. Let me take her."_

"_De-rek!" She said, stomping her foot._

"_Ca-sey!" He said, mocking her._

"_Both of you. Stop. We're in public. You both should go." Nora sighed, shaking her head._

_Casey folded her arms as Derek passed through the row mumbling…_

_But as soon as we reached the top stair, Derek and Casey were already holding hands._

"_Sorry about that, babe. You know how much I hate fighting with you." Derek says honestly._

"_Its okay. I almost slipped up there. Its so hard to keep it from them."_

_By then we were in a whirlwind of a long line._

"_Smerek! Make this line hurry. We're missing the game."_

"_Shh, Smarti. It's okay. I like staying here right now. I get to be with Casey. The line might be long, but if you stay calm, I'll buy you something else to go along with the cotton candy, okay?"_

_I immediately quieted and became preoccupied with the vendor's board of snacks, trying to ignore the 20 or so people ahead of me._

_When we moved forward, I had to stop Casey and Derek from kissing. _

_Despite rolling my eyes, this was normal to me._

_We were two people ahead from reaching the counter when it happened._

"_DEREK! CASEY!" A shocked George stood, gawking at the sight afore his eyes._

_The pair pulled away from each other: Casey bright red and Derek at a loss of words. _

"_What in- How? When. But?" George was sputtering incoherent things, his eyes bulging out. _

"_Can I help you?" The annoyed cashier asked me. I looked back at the three of them and sighed, snatching the money from Derek's hand. _

"_Cotton candy and popcorn, please." I say, handing him the money._

_I look back and George is dragging them back to their seats. I laughed, knowing how easily I was forgotten. _

_I gathered my things and headed back, nearly forgetting where our seat is._

_Walking down the flight of steps, the sight to see was unforgettable._

_Aside from the Senators finally ahead of the opposing team, the Leafs, the row of seats K1-K7 was being overly loud._

_I appeared next to Dad, asking him to move so I could sit. _

_Nora started yelling at him for forgetting me, while he was yelling back and forth with Derek. Casey was sitting crying, and Lizzie was convincing Edwin that she didn't need to give him back the money because of a relationship bet they had going over Derek and Casey._

_Needless to say, the ride home wasn't a very quiet one._

I sat back and laughed remembering all of this. The results of the day made Casey and Derek finally a couple. Finally. 

They'd been keeping it a secret for months and months from Nora and Dad. 

I found out about it first, then Edwin and Lizzie around the same time.

Derek came out of the locker room, and I was waiting. 

"Do you want me to take your bag?" I asked him, kindly.

He looked at me like I was crazy. He's led me to believe the bag weighs more than me.

"It's okay. I got it. Where do you want dinner from?" He asked after a second or two.

"Lets get something on the road. I want to get back as soon as possible."

He nods, and looks a little hurt.

I hop in the car, eager to get on the road. I just wanted to go back home, no matter how not normal it was. 

We were on the road, eating chicken nuggets and fries when I realized how numb I was feeling to the situation back at home. 

"Derek, where do you think he is?"

He sighs and keeps his eyes on the road, scared to answer.

I don't say anything more, and he opens his mouth. 

"Smarti, I'm mad at him more than words could tell. The next time he comes anywhere near our family, he might get more than words. He left without a goodbye and without telling us where he'll be."

There was another long pause.

"Our family has topped the charts on insane families." I say, nearly giggling.

"Haha, you've got that right. Mom and Dad divorce. Dad marries Nora practically on the spot. Mom moves to Spain. I fall for Casey, and she gets the same feelings, after those years of fighting. Lizzie and Edwin were best friends. But no one knows what happened there." He stops, scrunching his face up. I know more than he thinks, but I promised to keep it a secret. "Case and I go off to college. Move in together. Edwin and Lizzie leave, separating from each other, between Toronto and the United States. You grow up in the time between, home with Nora and Dad. Now, Dad leaves. It sure seems pretty messed up in my eyes."

I stop to think about all the crazy that had happened in these past years. 

"I don't have a biological family anymore." 

Derek looks at me and his eyes widen.

"Marti! Don't say that!"

"It's true! Mom's in Spain and probably doesn't even remember me except to send me 3 cards a year. You're living with Casey far away from London. Edwin is somewhere far down south in the states, a whole country away. Now dad leaves, and I'm all alone with Nora. Don't get me wrong, I love Nora as my step mom, but. She's not a double parent. She isn't mom or dad. She isn't even my legal step mom either."

I started crying and I was yelling angrily at all the inattentive relationships I was ending up having.

"Oh Smarti. Our weird family will get through this. Nora already had gone through two teenage daughters, so she's fit to play the role of a mother to you. Lizzie and Casey are your big sisters, too. They've all been family for about eight years now. They love you too, and we'll all get through this together. Holiday is coming up soon and I promise we'll all be home. After that, you can call me or Case any time to come pick you up or come there. Lizzie will more than likely be up as often too. I can't speak for Ed, but something tells me he'll realize how much family means."

The rest of the ride, we talked about other stuff, like hockey and school and life. Things were more fun when Derek cranked up the radio and we sang along to random songs.

When we actually reached home, I was half awake. I could've crashed at any second. Casey's car was parked in the drive, so I take it she was spending the night here too.

Derek carried me up to my room, as I was too sleepy for otherwise.

With a kiss on my forehead, he told me, "Smarti, things will get better. I promise. I love you."

"Love you too Smerek." I said, yawning, reminding myself of how I was when I was young. 

With that, I drifted off to sleep, trying not to think of the aftermath of the whirl wind of destruction that dad had left for us to pick up.

* * *

�**Ick, this chapter was sad. Lots of Smerek/Smarti sibling love though.  
The next chapter will show how Nora's dealing with everything, and tutoring after school.**

**Be sure to leave your thoughts!�**


	4. Blank

**Disclaimer - Yeah, still don't own. **

**Oh man. I forgot to say whether or not Casey and Derek were married or not. Hmm. As of now, I decide yes; it makes more sense.  
Thanks to EVERYONE for the positive feedback. I'm taking your ideas and thoughts and comments into consideration, and i'm sorry for the long LONG wait.**

* * *

The next morning, my alarm blared in my ear. It took a little bit for the shock to settle back in that yesterday actually did happen. I couldn't believe it. I snagged out a black skirt and a teal shirt to go along with it.  
Yawning, I walked downstairs, and nearly fell over when walking into someone.

"Morning, Marti. Breakfast on the table. Shower's free now, if you want it. If not, I'm gonna try to get mom in there." Casey stated, mumbling.

I forgot Casey spent the night there. She was giving up her time that would have probably been spent in class, at work, or volunteering somewhere. She looked worn out as is though, and upset.

I hesitated, and then asked, "How is Nora?"

Casey looks at me and sighs.  
"Not good. She's blaming herself. Trying to be in a depression."

I winced at those words. Things just seem to get worse.

I continued the rest of the morning getting ready for school, in a daze.

I jump in the car, after Casey yelled that I was gonna be late for the fifteenth time.

"You're going to be late! Do you have all of your books? All of your completed assignments? Anything you need me to sign for Nora?"

I shoot her a look and say, "Come on, Casey. We have to go. I have it all, don't worry about it."

The car ride was silent till about a third of the way there, Casey spoke up.

"You need to get a ride home today. Marti. Mom's trying to coupe herself up in her room. She's acting like a heartbroken teenager. She doesn't know how to deal with this. Then again, none of us do. I want to take her out of the house today. I have to leave tonight, because I can't abandon the home life. We'll be back this weekend. Break begins for you this Friday, right?"

I shudder. Winter break; weeks and weeks home with family for the holidays.

Casey pulls into the parking lot, and I practically jump out.

She says something to me, but I don't look back.

Rushing to my locker, Dimi stands waiting for me.

"Where have you been? The bells gonna ring in like three minutes! I've been standing here for a really long time!"

I stop paying attention to what he was saying and began walking toward my class.

"MARTI!" He yells, waving his hand in front of my face.

"Dimi. Stop. Casey was home with Derek. She took me to school this morning. End of story."

I think I shocked him a little bit by being so forward, but he didn't have much time to talk about it as I went into my Linguistics classroom and he walked on to his class.

Spanish went by without any hitches, like yesterday. It also reminded me of the tutoring session I was going to have to give today. Another reason today is terrible.

This class was the most peculiar class of all; we talked about things that went on in our own lives and we were supposed to call our teacher by her first name, on friend basis.

At first, no one was used to this. We were uncomfortable talking with someone who was an adult.

But now, it was normal. We were graded on participation, and did real work every other day.

Today wasn't a work day.

"Okay. Open discussion today, guys. Anything's up for talk."

Everyone quieted, and no one wanted to dare to be first to talk.

"Everyone leaves."

All eyes landed on me.

"Marti," Our teacher, Meredith so to say, uneasily continues, "please evaluate."

"Our siblings leave for college. Our grandparents pass away. Our parents' divorce."

A few of my classmates nod in response, and Meredith looks at me like I'm the fountain of wisdom.

"So it means change. It doesn't seem so fair to us others, does it." More like a statement then an answer.

A small girl named Andrea spoke out saying, "What if we don't change? It's pretty much a lost cause to try and stop it from happening."

I think for a second. "It _is_ a lost cause. You can't change things, no matter how hard you want to." My eyes started to tear up. I stopped before I'd begin sobbing in front of the entire class.

I see Dillon looking at me from across the room, concerned.

Meredith looks at me for a second, and then switches topics.

I don't talk much about everything else because that one thing, not being able to change it, was sticking out in my mind.

I walked out of the classroom at the end of the period with my head down, trying to not make contact with anyone as I headed to the next class.

By the time I hit lunch, I was worn out. I had already been given a project and two major homework assignments due tomorrow.

"You look like you were hit by a ton of bricks."

Dimi, Krista, and Dillon were all sitting across from me, looking at me curiously.

"Stress." I said, narrowing my words down to one.

Krista nodded, Dimi shrugged, but Dillon kept his eyes on me.

I try to look away, down at the table of nothingness.

Midst the factors of Casey trying to take hold of control in the family, it had left me with no lunch or lunch money, and my stomach was growling.

"So who left?" Dillon asked me, his voice full of caution.

My head snaps up to level his.

He throws his hands up in defense, "I just heard your speech in English this morning. It all took us by surprise."

Krista joins in next. "What speech? I didn't hear about it."

Finally, it becomes a full on discussion as Dimi speaks up. "Does it have anything to do with Casey driving you to school this morning?"

I practically shove myself away from the table, slamming my chair in and gathering my books.

I walked across the room, leaving the three of them sitting, confused as to what just happened.

There was at least five minutes until my class, so I decided to go back to my locker to kill some time.

"Skipping class?" A voice from behind me pipes up.

I rolled my eyes, without looking back.

"You didn't answer me, Venturi. You're supposed to answer when the captain tells you to."

"Shut up, Lenning!" I yell quietly, if that makes sense. There were too many classes going on.

"My my, Venturi. Might I remind you that we have practice today?"

I turn, facing him, "Might I remind you I tutor you today afterschool?"

His grin fades. "I wanted to ask you about that. Do you think that I could give you a ride home?"

I was confused. "A ride home? Why?"

"My brother will bring us home, and then pick us up for practice." He said, ignoring my questions.

"Oh, um. Alright."

He smiles again, and I'm completely confused.

"Practice today will be fun, speaking of which. I want us to run drills, and you'll be my leading example."

So that's what he was getting at.

I growled at him, and he laughs.

I almost begin to shout at him when I realize..

"I'm your tutor, and you know I could drop you, anytime."

My trademark Venturi smirk grows to his sudden defeat.

"Fine. You win. My brother drives a black sedan. Better not be late, or we'll leave without you."

Without saying goodbye, he walks off. I turn in the opposite direction and walk off too.

Classes resume. My algebra class was pure torture, and I felt like screaming throughout it.

Algebra is, was, and will be my weak point.

By the time I reached the parking lot, I was carrying 3 books, two binders and a folder.

I spotted Hayden climbing into his brothers car, and quickly walked over there.

I stumbled in to the backseat.  
"Why do you need all those books? You're gonna do all that work?" Hayden asked me, practically in shock.

"I have two projects, three homework assignments, and a test tomorrow, thank you very much. Of course i'm gonna do the work."

He just kept staring at me like I had two heads.

Two minutes passed, and Hayden's older brother, Tristan, opens the driver's seat door.

"Hayden! What did I tell you this morning! No fooling around in my car with girls!" He laughs, seeing me.

I practically gag. "Ew. No thanks. Your little brother is not my type. He needs help… besides linguistics, of course."

Tristan starts laughing hard, and turns to me. "You're a cool kid. Hayden's told me a lot about you. You're a part of the Venturi-MacDonald clan, right?"

I nod my head, "Last one around. Do you know where I live?"

He smiles and says yes. Hayden shoots a quizzical look.

"I knew Edwin and Lizzie. They were in school three years ago. I was a freshman. I went to your house for one of their parties."

I laughed. Oh, parties at our house. Sometimes I knew about them, sometimes I didn't know until I overhear someone talk about it.

Within minutes, I was slipping the key into the lock of our front door and hanging my coat on the coat rack.

"Nice house."

I nod in thanks and head to the kitchen to grab a snack.

"Got any food?" Hayden says, trailing me like a lost puppy.

"None for you!" I bark back, feeling like I had to keep my guard up.

He starts going through my cupboards and I ball my hands into fists. I could not take on this imbecile.

"No. Homework first, snack later. Linguistics. We have to get you caught up with Spanish before we even begin on Japanese." I snap, pushing him out to the dining room table so to say.

I flip through my notes and look over at Hayden, who's playing with his hair.

"Marti, do we have to?" He whines, seeing me attempt to look through what to cover.

I groan. This would not be easy.

"Hayden, sit your lazy butt down and get to work. The sooner we get this done and your grades up, the sooner this can be over. We're working till a half hour before practice."

He pounds his head off his table.

Minutes later, we're working on vocab strategies by making flashcards.

"Hey Marti?"

"What, Hayden? Get back to work." I was enjoying the brief silence.

"Why is your house so quiet?"

My breath caught in my throat. I forgot about it. All day it was off my thoughts, till now.

"No one's home 'cept us." I reply, hoping he wouldn't dive further in it.

"Oh. Work?"

"Something like that. You done with your flashcards yet?"

"Sorry Senorita Marti."

I snickered and his face showed he wanted to take it back.

Fifty flashcards and fifty corrections on pronunciation later, it was a half hour till practice.

I had to go change, and I expected he did too, so I let him change in Derek's old room.

Ironic.

By the time I reached the bottom step, I heard my front door click open.

"Marti! I wondered how you'd get home. Do you need a ride to practice?"

Casey says, stomping in with Nora trailing.

"What are you guys doing home? I thought that you weren't supposed to be home till tonite?"

Casey sighs and looks over at Nora, who stands there blankly.

"We ran into a few… issues."

I raised an eyebrow, and looked at Nora. She was sitting in a chair now, just staring at us.

Hayden walks down the steps and his expression changes to surprise as he sees Nora and Casey with the same reactions.

Casey pulls me out of the living room and into the kitchen.

"Marti! You brought a BOY here? Upstairs?? Today of all days?!" Casey hisses angrily at me.

"Casey! Chill! I'm tudoring him."

"In what? Tonsil hockey?"

"No! In linguistics! He hates me anyways, he's Hayden… you know, hockey captain?"

She stops yelling at me and calms down. I thought she was about to apologize, but…

"Oh. Well. I'm picking you up after practice and we'll grab something to bring home for dinner, alright?"

I nod and walk to where Hayden was standing.

"Tristan's here. Let's go."

I walked out to the car and it was a silent, uncomfortable ride there.

When I practice was in session, I set my skates on the ice and looked around. I felt like I was on stage, for all to see, and that feeling never ever got old. I still loved it.

A shove comes into play from behind me.

"Get out there, Venturi. I need to see some action out of you today." 'Captain Lenning' was at it again.

Coach was having us run through shooting drills and passing. Simple stuff that I had mastered a long time ago. Coach soon sat back and let Hayden take his time running a few plays he made up.

And I, of course, demonstrated it.

"More force! Don't slam into boards! Backwards skate!"

It all translated into, "That's for not giving a break! This is for tutoring me to no end! That's for your weird family!"

I did it all as instructed and he still wasn't happy. He was screaming in my face, and I wanted to swing at him.

Coach Latack skated out to the ice just to separate us.

"I'm not going to let my team fight each other. Lenning! Venturi did just fine, I don't get what you're complaining about."

"You only say that because she's a girl, coach. She did it okay for a girl." Hayden whines.

My eyes narrow. He was always pulling that.

"Lenning! Watch your mouth! Practice is over. You two can never stop fighting. Captain and singled out girl. Good grief."

I walked off to the locker room to be greeted with the lovely teammates of mine. I was the last to always, ALWAYS last shower, due to the fact of my gender.

"Marti? What's wrong?" Dillon said, seeing the mixed emotions play games on my face.

"Captain. Who the heck gives him that much authority? I'm not a guy, we've all established that. Just because i'm associated to Derek doesn't mean that I'm a hockey effing goddess. Why can't he choose someone that has the same structure like him? AH!" I snarl.

Dillon was a little shocked at my outburst but put a comforting arm around me.  
"Relax. He'll give up eventually." As if he was the most of my worries.

Casey picked me up after I showered, dried, and changed.

I didn't acknowledge the rest of my team as I was embarrassed by what happened, waved to Dillon, and walked to the car.

"Food, home, then I'll leave. Marti, I need you to take really good care of mom." Casey says, telling me with great anxiety in her voice.

"What happened today?" I asked, hoping Casey'll finally spill why they came home.

"She's convinced he'll come back. She's being stubborn. She won't let me get through to her."

Nora must be like Casey when she's upset; like mother like daughter.

"She's blanking it all out of her mind, yelling at me to stop telling her lies. She gets to the point of just sitting and staring off in to space like it's the most normal thing in the world. I'm so worried about her, Marti."

My breath caught in my throat. I should've been prepared to hear about it, but I like to think of Nora as the strong one.

By that time, we went through mcdonalds drive thru. I fries and a shake were all I needed, but Casey insisted on me getting something with "Nutritional Value". ..Yet she contradicted it by buying a big mac, a large shake, a snack wrap and a large green tea.

"Stress eating?" I ask, curious of why Casey would be loading up on foods with empty calories.

"Exactly. I saved a snack wrap for mom though, and I hope she's going to eat it. I don't think she's touched food all day."

"Derek's been calling nonstop, worrying about the family. I tried calling Edwin today and couldn't get a hold of him. Lizzie's coming down this weekend. School lets out for them till a week after Boxing Day, so she should be able to help you out a lot."

The holidays were approaching soon, and I immediately regretted the thought.

"Case, what are things gonna be like for Christmas and Derekus? For Boxing Day?"

Her face immediately swiched emotions to extreme upset.

"Look, we're home. Get inside, and we'll say goodbye, okay? I need to reassure mom I'll be back."

Casey wasn't looking at me.

"Leaving? So soon? Casey you can't!"

She nodded, unbuckling her seatbelt and opening the door.

"I have a job and a Derek to get back to."

"Casey!" I complained, starting to rant.

"Marti, stop. I don't want to worry mom worrying about any more of this."

Defeated, I carried the food into the house, and watched Nora react to Casey saying she was leaving.

"Oh, honey. Can't you stay?"

"Sorry mom. I have work to get back to. School to get back to."

"Have a safe trip back. Be careful, and turn your cell phone off till you get home."

Nora said, as if everything was under control.

The uneasy look on Casey's face said it all, and I bit my lip when Casey hugged me.

"Please take care…"

"I will, Casey. Say hi to Derek. I hope to see you two soon."

And with that, she walked out the door. I sat down on the couch and nibbled on my snack wrap.

"Okay Marti, goodnight."

I swiveled over to Nora.

"Nora, it's eight o'clock. You haven't even ate dinner yet."

Her blank expression reads nothing.

"Oh. That's too bad. I'll eat in the morning. I'm not hungry now."

How could I have stopped her?

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**So that's the end of this chapter. Sorry it's so jumpy. Next chapter up soon! R&R!**


	5. Call

**DISCLAIMER – I DO NOT OWN, If I did, the show would be based on Dasey instead.**

Okay guys, this is a filler chapter-ish. It helped me get back on track and spark my interest in this story. I know it's been at least four months since I last updated, but now it's has been my chosen thing to do, as fuel for procrastination against my AP Language/Government work. Happy reading. Reviews are well appreciated.

* * *

The next few days were tougher than ever.

I woke up, woke Nora up, walked to school, participated, tutored, went to practice, and then came home. The last part was toughest to do, because of Nora.

I refused to tutor at the house, due to Nora taking off work and starting her holiday vacation early, so I would meet Hayden at the rink beforehand. He started to show an interest in learning about foreign languages, until the guys showed up. Each of them would go and tease him of how I could really be 'tutoring him' and he would get angrier and take it out more and more on me at practice. The dark bruises and tension are proof.

The last three days, I've come home to find Nora in a very depressed state. She eats little, and only at times when I order her to. Sometimes I'll find her lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling, while other times I'll notice she's already in bed at eight. I call Derek or Casey these times, worried. Sometimes I wondered if she had been out of bed at all the day. The first time, I was almost crying when I spoke to Derek about the way things turned. He wanted to drive down as soon as he heard how scared I was, but I told him no, that I could handle it.

I was going through the motions of helping out Nora and doing the chores the fourth night in a row after a brutal practice that already had me sore, when something else happened. I shooed Nora into her room around nine thirty, to get changed, to shower, to head to bed, when I found the note. I kept it unopened until Nora went to bed.

**To My Loving Family,**

**I want you all to know that I've thought this through a number of times, and if I didn't do it then, then I'm finally doing this now. I have decided that there is far too less for you to need me, and I do not want to be a source of stress relief for any of you. I'm doing this for me for once, and I suppose it's something you'll have to cope with. My cell phone is off, I've switched jobs and I do believe that no contact should be made by any means to me. Please respect my wishes, as I have respected all five of yours for the past eight years. **

**George**

And that was that.

I was nearly brink of panic attack.

I didn't want to call Derek or Casey, and after Dimi and Dillon didn't answer their phones, I resorted to calling Liz.

"Hello?" I hear on the other line, voices in the backround.

"Lizzie? Can we talk?"

"Marti? It's like ten o'clock! Hold on," She says, surprised.

I hear the voices fade, and then her voice again.

"Sorry, I was out eating with some friends to celebrate end of classes for break. How is it there, Marti?"

"Terrible."

"Terrible? Why, kiddo?"

"Did Casey talk to you? She said she did!"

"Not since I told her I was gonna be down this weekend, why?"

"Oh no, Liz. Crap, I don't wanna be the one telling you about it all."

"Marti, you're starting to scare me. Tell me what's going on."

"Dad left us. For good, for who or what I haven't the slightest idea. Nora's in a really bad state right now."

"Are you serious?"

"I wouldn't lie. I can't wait for Friday to come so you and Case and Derek can finally come home. Maybe help out a little."

All I hear is static from the other end for a little bit.

"Liz? Are you okay?"

"Shit! I can't believe he would do this to us!"

"Lizzie?"

"He's so freaking ridiculous. Oh, if I ever see him again… wow. That's a scary thought. Oh my gosh, I might never see George again."

"Hello!"

"Marti. Your dad, my step dad, he's actually gone?"

I started to nod my head, not realizing she couldn't see it. "Yeah Liz, he's really gone."

"Damn it. I was nearly thinking of spending holiday here instead of home… scratch that idea."

"Its scary here, Liz. I hate it. I just found the note dad wrote to us. Casey and Derek are one more call away from driving 90 mph here just to get to me, so I figured I'd talk to you. I'm so scared and I don't know what's gonna happen to us."

"We'll be there soon. Tomorrow I'm spending the day packing so I can get a ride back ASAP. Casey and Derek will probably get there as soon as they can as well…" She trailed off, and I knew what she was thinking about.

"I don't know if he's coming up for holiday break or what. If you weren't informed about this, I don't think he was either."

I was talking about the one other member of our family, who lives all the way in the states. The one Liz had a thing with, in private, for a while.

"Oh, okay. Are you gonna talk to him? Or they?" She was upset, and even more with the upset feeling of Edwin not arriving to be with his family when they needed him as well.

"I'll call." Two words that probably left Liz with a little bit better feeling.

I promised her that I'm here, and she told me she'll always be there to help and she'll be home as soon as she can be.

After hanging up, I felt a little bit mad for Case and Derek for not telling Liz and Edwin about it all, but at the same time I understood that they were busy and trying to overcome this as well.

Edwin was my next call, but seeing as it was nearing eleven, I knew his phone'd be off. Maybe it was better to leave a message.

"Hey, um, Edwin. It's your little sister Marti here. I, uh, really have to talk to you when you get the time. You, um, have to make sure you're back here for holiday. Please. Once you hear this whole thing out, you really really oughta be here. Please. Call me back, um, after school tomorrow. I get out same time you did way back when. Thank you. Uh, bye."

And with that I was allegedly heading off to bed. But right now I couldn't sleep. All I wanted was my family here. Casey Derek Edwin Lizzie Nora and Dad. We won't ever be able to have all of us together, ever again.

I crawled into Derek's bed instead of my own, and silently cried a little before falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

Well, that sure was depressing.  
Eh, I've done better, but I'm getting back on track.  
I've gotten midway through the next chapter, so expect to be seeing that soon!

* * *


	6. Eerie

**DISCLAIMER: Even though it IS my birthday, i still don't own LWD. Maybe next year's gift?  
**

**Two reviews? I'll take it!  
It's my birthday today, for about the next half hour, and here's my gift to you;  
a fresh new chapter.  
Enjoy, and don't hesitate to tell me what you think!**

* * *

I woke up the next morning in sheer agony

I woke up the next morning in sheer agony. I didn't want to do this anymore. I wanted it to be over and back to normal. If there were any day worth skipping school, today would be it.

Yet, after a few seconds of thinking it over, it would mean not tutoring Hayden and missing hockey practice. I couldn't do that.

I walked down to the basement, to get Nora up, like daily routine.

Moving the covers, I whispered, "Come on, Nora. Time to wake up. Liz and Case and Derek are coming home today."

She began to turn over.

"Maybe even Edwin'll be up. If not today, he might be here tomorrow."

She looks up at me, and quietly said, "But they aren't George."

It took a lot of strength for me not to walk out of the room then and there. Instead, I dismissed her comment, and walked her over to their bathroom.

I went upstairs as soon as I heard the shower running, and took a shower myself. The normal routine: shower, hair, makeup, and then downstairs to breakfast again.

Hoping to snap Nora out of it, I was wearing an outfit that was completely different than anything Liz or Casey wore back then. There was no way that I was wearing a skirt with all the bruises from hockey, so I stuck to skinny jeans on that part, and a red quarter length sleeved top, which shown the tiniest bit cleavage.

As Nora and I sat and ate our cereal, she didn't even seem to care about my outfit, or care when I asked where my black converses were.

I gave Nora a list of what to-do and she only nodded in response.

I walked the long walk to school, missing when Liz and Ed drove, and causing me to think more about the last thing George said when he dropped me off.

First mod class started, and then second mod class, more monotony.

Dillon pulled me over by my locker between third and fourth and wrapped his arms around me. "Marti bear. I'm here for you, no matter what goes on. I want you to know that. I think I might talk to Lenning today about letting up on you at practices."

I look up at him, and I'm suddenly angry.

"No, Dillon! You can't do that! I'm perfectly capable of handling him on my own. You can't just go ahead and stick up for me when every little thing goes wrong!"

He just nods, not phased, and kisses my forehead.

"My offer still stands." He says, walking away.

My fists are clenched, and I'm shaking. I don't get what's got me so worked up about the whole situation, the fact he kissed my forehead or the fact that he decides that he wants to be my protector.

I decided on both, but didn't want it to make another worry in my life.

Everyone seemed concerned about me. Whether it was Krista's notes she passed me, or Dimi's small talk, they all wanted to "be there for me". I was a little sick of it.

"Venturi!" An arm grabbed me and pulled me to the side.

"What is it with you people and wanting to talk?"

"I'm sorry if I took the wrong approach, maybe I should've checked you into the lockers instead. Anyways, I decided we should stop the tutoring at the rink. Too many interruptions, you know?"

I let out a small sigh, aggravated by him and his wants and his needs.

"Where do you want to work at, huh? If you don't want to at the rink, and I can't have you at my house, then where?" I was getting impatient.

He mimics me and I stand waiting for his answer.

"My house. Where else is there? My brother will drive us there. Make sure you have all your gear."

The rest of the school went by rather slowly. I was criticized for not paying attention and astonishing teachers for not knowing the correct answers to everything. I had plenty of projects to do during holiday break. Today, though, my goal was to help Lenning so he could pass his Spanish test he was retaking the next day, a Saturday.

I was midst a history lesson while I kept zoning out.

"Miss Venturi, will you please step out of the room with me for a second?"

My eyes grew wide, and I hesitantly walked out.

"Marti," Mr. Quintin began, "This past week your performance has faltered. I have to ask, is there a problem at home? Is your athletics wearing down on you?"

His kind old eyes were looking at me with compassion, and pity in a sense.

"Much of both. I'd rather not discuss it…" I say, my eyes studying my feet.

He sighs, and writes on a piece of paper.

"I'd like you to discuss it with the guidance councilor, if you are comfortable with talking to him…I do hope things will get better."

I mumble thanks, and carry my books back into Paul's office.

"Marti? Its mid eighth mod."

"Yeah," I say quietly, "I know."

"Just wanting to talk before holiday?"

I shake my head no, and hand him the pass.

"Oh. What's been going on?"

I put my head in my hands for a while. By the time I raise it, tears are streaming down my face.

"It's all going wrong." I sob, grabbing a handful of tissues.

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"My dad left us, he's not coming back. Nora's become a basket case, and all us kids are overstressed. I had to break the news to Liz last night, and that was really tough. I might have to tell Edwin too. Derek's taking it hard, and its tough on Casey too. I don't know what to do. I'm trying to keep myself busy, with all this schoolwork, which hockey. But Hayden's gotten me real frustrated, I mean. I've been helping him, or trying. The first day was at my house, and then Casey came home early with Nora, and she thought we were up to other kinds of studying. So we studied for the past few days at the rink. But my guess is that all of the team's remarks about how I should be tutoring him in a 'different' way. So today we'll be at his house. And I'm so afraid of another breakdown or a panic attack like last night and-"

"Marti. You're taking on the world right now. Lets start with your dad."

"He left Monday. Didn't tell us where to, and cut off all communication with us. He really thought it all out. It wasn't just an impulsive move. He packed up his things, and circled back to the house after we were gone to get it all."

"How do you know it was for good?"

"He wrote a letter. He told us not to contact him."

"And the family is taking it hard." Paul looked

"Really hard. Derek picked me up from school the first day, and he started yelling at me. Derek never does that. Ever. Casey drove here as well, stayed with us. She had a hard time reaching mom. Them and Lizzie will be home tonight, I take it. As soon as hockey practice is over and Casey's done, they'll rush to get here. Edwin… I don't know."

"Do you think he'll want to come up after the whole Lizzie ordeal?"

I nod. "I know he still has feelings for her. You can sense those kinds of things, after these last years."

"Okay. Now, schoolwork is something you can keep in check. So lets talk about mister Lenning, okay? How's that going?"

"I'm trying to help him and I guess he's doing better because of it. He retakes his Spanish test tomorrow. But the team teases him a lot of it. I guess that's cause I'm a girl and he's a guy. Still, he's gotten really harsh about the drills and everything, checking me into the boards all the time, barking out orders. It's kind of hard to handle. I wanna freak out on him, but I can't. Not only because he's captain, but because he shows a different side when we're working together."

"Best advice in that field? Be friends."

I scoff at him. He gives me a look like I should know better.

"Paul, I don't know what to do here."

He shakes his head. "The family thing seems much more dire of a topic to discuss with a family councilor. This is a very life altering thing, it takes time to sort out."

I nod, and see the time. We talked past eighth, and were near the end of ninth mod, the end of the day.

Paul gives me the ok to leave, and softly tells me his door is open anytime.

I walk out to Tristan's car, and wait patiently.

"Marti! Glad to be seeing you again. I hear you'll be a guest at our house for a while this afternoon?"

"Why yes," I say, playing along, "I will be."

He laughs, "Well, you're in for a real shock."

I was about to ask what he meant, but Hayden walks up to us.

"I had to get something after school from Miss Grayson. Sorry guys."

Shrugging, I head off with them to their house.

The car pulls into a paved driveway of the Lenning's brick-style house. It was a two-story home, with a few flower patterns around, and a basketball hoop on hold. The two guys lead me in through the back patio entrance.

"Hi!" A little boy, about the age of five or six pops out from the hallway. His blonde hair and light dusting of freckles gives it away that he's Tristan and Hayden's little brother.

"Hey there! What's your name?" I ask, as he stands in front of me.

"Charles Nathan Lenning. But you can call me Charlie!"

"Okay, Charlie. I'll stick to that."

I walk into the kitchen and sit down, taking out my books.

Charlie mimics me, sitting down and pulling out crayons and a coloring book.

"Whatcha coloring, Charlie?"

"Spiderman! I used to color when I was little, but I ran outside of the lines and it was all messy. Now that I'm way older, I color perfect!"

"Can I color with you?"

The little boy's eyes lit up. "Yeah! That'd be awesome!"

I sat around, waiting for Hayden to come into the room to stop me.

After ten minutes, I ask Charlie where he was.

"I dunno. Cleaning, probably."

My eyebrows knitted together. Hayden? That's a silly thought.

I walk away from the little boy's delight, and walk upstairs to see where he was.

Sure enough, Hayden was in his room, making his bed.

"Hayden?" I say, from the doorway. He jumps.

"Oh, hey Marti." It seemed like the first time in ages that he actually called me Marti instead of "Venturi".

"What are you doing?" I tended to be very curious when people acted out of curious.  
"Uh, cleaning before my dad and Kate come home." He said, nervously picking up things to make his room ideal.

"Okay. Um, when you're done, come to the kitchen. We need to get to work if you're gonna get a good grade on your test tomorrow."

He tells me he'll be down in a second, and then keeps vacuuming. I pass Tristan's room where he's doing the same.

I walk back into the kitchen where Charlie's still sitting quietly, coloring a Spiderman and MJ picture.

"Charlie? Can I ask you something?"

"Uh-huh." He doesn't even look up at me.

"Why are Tristan and Hayden cleaning so much?" It was starting to bug me now.

"Cause daddy will get real mad if it's dirty anywhere." This only made me more curious.

"What about you, Charlie?"

"I put my clothes in my drawers and picked up stuff and made my bed."

"Oh." I didn't know what else to say.

It was about fifteen minutes later, and page after page of Spiderman that Hayden finally sat down next to me.

"I'm sorry I left you here. Charlie keeping you entertained?"

"We're coloring!" He grins.

"Make sure not to get crayon anywhere. If you do, tell me."

He turns and places his Spanish note cards on the table.

"I'm gonna be looking over these for a few. Then you can quiz me, okay?"

He starts looking over them, and the back doors open.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, guys." A woman with long blonde hair walks into the room, dropping bags of groceries onto the counter.

"Mommy!" Charlie squeals, jumping out of his chair and going over to hug her.

"Hey Kate. This is Marti, you know?" Hayden introduces me.

"Hello Marti. I appreciate all that you are doing right now for helping out Hayden."

I shrug, and kindly say, "It's not a problem. He's getting better, actually."

She smiles, and turns to put the groceries away, the bags in a certain drawer, and wipes the countertops off.

I'm frustrated now. Why the heck is this family so OCD about cleaning?!

"Here," Hayden shoves the note cards into my hands, "quiz me."

The rest of the time I was there, I helped him out. I hear vacuuming in the background, or several things being put away.

I was itching to ask about it, but trying to keep my boundaries.

Surprisingly, Hayden was doing better. His pronunciation and vocabulary were only wrong on one or two things, but other than that I could thereby say he was ready.

My phone starts to ring, and I jump, not expecting it.

I walk into their spotless living room, to not distract Hayden.

I open it immediately, without even looking at the name.

"Hello? Marti?"

"Edwin." I nearly whisper.

"I checked my voicemail after class. I'm headed to work in about a half hour. What's up?"

"You haven't talked to anyone, have you." I said it as a statement, not a question.

"No, Marti. Now tell me what's going on."

"Where are you?" I said, trying to gear him up.

"Uh, back at the dorms. Why?"

"This is big, Ed."

I can hear his breathing pick up. "How big?"

I sigh, hating having to do this. "Dad left."

The line goes silent. I don't hear his footsteps, or anything.

"Did he say how long?" He has hope, and I wish I did too.

"Indefinitely. He… he might not come back at all."

"I'm on the next available flight." Click.

I'm running my hands through my hair. Trying to let the tears not fall.

"Marti? Coming back soon? We have to go to practice in like a half hour."

I walk back in the room, holding back everything, biting my lip.

He sees me, and his eyes get big. "What happened?"

"N-nothing." I try to choke out. Trying to keep something like this bottled up was tough.

"Don't lie."

And that's how I ended up crying right in front of Mr. Big-Shot Captain, Hayden Lenning.

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**Okay, this story officially went in a different direction than I planned. I just added another mystery, I guess.  
Tell me how you think it was; be honest. I rushed it a little, trying to get it out today.  
I don't even know where it's headed yet, so maybe help me out and tell me what YOU want?  
REVIEW, and I'll be happy!**

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